Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Tuesday condemned a new Israeli bid to build new settlement units in East Jerusalem.

In a statement, Abul Gheit said that a recent Israeli announcement to build new settlement units in East Jerusalem thwarts efforts exerted to resume the stalled peace process.

The decision cast doubt on Israel's willingness to reach a final settlement with the Palestinians, and also indicates an Israeli evasion from peace requirements, Abul Gheit added.

The statement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Cairo on Tuesday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on US efforts to revive the stalled Middle East peace talks.

On Monday, the Israeli ministry of Construction and Housing announced it is seeking bids for construction of about 700 new apartments in East Jerusalem.

The tenders will include 692 housing units in three Jewish communities in East Jerusalem's and they are expected to be finished in two or three years, according to a ministry spokesman.

Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, are considered by international community as Israeli settlements and one of the main obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2009)